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Summary: Kathleen Cleaver recalls growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, India and the Philippines while her father worked for the foreign service. She remembers dropping out of college to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as a secretary, and witnessing the dissolution of that organization. She discusses meeting her husband, Eldridge Cleaver, joining the Black Panther Party, and organizing against police brutality.

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Biographical History: Kathleen Cleaver was born in 1945 in Dallas, Texas, married Eldridge Cleaver, and had two children. She attended Oberlin College, Barnard College, and Yale University, and worked as a political activist, attorney, and professor. She is noted for her involvement with the Black Panther Party with Eldridge Cleaver.

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Acquisition Note: The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.

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Existence and Location of Copies: Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).

Rights & Access

The individuals documented in these collection items retain copyright and related rights to the use of their recorded and written testimonies and memories. They have granted the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution permission to provide access to their interviews and related materials for purposes that are consistent with each agency’s educational mission, such as publication and transmission, in whole or in part, on the Web. Their written permission is required for commercial, profit-making distribution, reproduction, or other use beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

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Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance.